Pinkie Pie and Rarity were in tears. It took a lot to bring them down, but being bullied by one of your best friends? That'll do it. "Looks like Nasty Fluttershy is here to stay!" Pinkie squeaked.
"I can't believe what that monster Iron Hill has done to you!" Rarity sobbed, and the two ran off crying, not bearing to spend another moment with New Fluttershy.
As the two scampered out of sight, Fluttershy looked at her reflection in the pool, and smirked. "It's about time everypony knew what's what!" She began to drift about the edge of Ponyville, derisively glaring at the ponies. "Look at them all, proudly going about their business as if they were worth a single bit! They all made fun of Old Fluttershy..." she stomped her front hooves together. "... but when somepony makes fun, THEY BETTER RUN!" she giggled evilly to herself.
"But where to begin?" Fluttershy wondered to herself. "I know! Twilight Sparkle, with her fancy books and magic spells. She thinks she's so much better than Fluttershy, all because she's Celestia's little pet! NEW FLUTTERSHY WILL MAKE HER UPSET!"
Her mind made up, Fluttershy took to the skies and and flew to Twilight's rather beautiful tree house. Once there, a remnant of Old Fluttershy led her to gently knock on the door. No response. She knocked again. Still nothing.
"Well, if the door is locked... one had better check the window! Iron Will didn't teach New Fluttershy breaking and entering, after all!" Fluttershy murmured and peeked into the window to see Spike sleeping amidst a pile of books. "Sleeping on the job, with a guest behind the door! How terribly impolite!"
She flew up to the tree house's chimney, took a breath, and screamed "SPIIIIIIIIIKE!" so loudly that soot flew out of the chimney, making the library room considerably dirty. That got the little dragon's attention. "Oh man! It took me a whole week to get the library to look this good!" Annoyed, he finally opened the door and cowered as Fluttershy glared down at him. "Uh... hi Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy huffed. "New Fluttershy doesn't feel the need to talk to little babies! Where's Twilight?!"
"I'm not a baby!" Spike protested. "And she's upstairs having a nap, I locked the door so nobody would wake her up, she's been really overworking-" Fluttershy had already trotted up.
Twilight's bedroom was a peaceful and quiet place. A little lullaby jingle played on a gramophone with "FOR EMERGENCY NAPPING PURPOSES" printed on it. Twilight herself was in a restful slumber, hugging a pillow and with a little smile on her muzzle.
The sight was so cute that Fluttershy had to let out an "Aww". Right before she shook her head. "No, no, New Fluttershy must NOT be weak! Twilight doesn't deserve her compassion!"
Out of nowhere, she pulled out an airhorn and pressed down. Predictably, Twilight jumped out from underneath the covers, hit the ceiling and fell back onto the bed. "What the hay?!" she exclaimed. "Fluttershy?! What are you-?" Her friend's twisted, smug face gave Twilight pause.
"Oh, what's the matter, Twilight? Can't get enough sleep?" Fluttershy teased. "Too busy studying... let me guess... how many Twilight Sparkles would it take for her to stop being a haughty... lousy... killjoy!"
Spike growled at the door. "Nobody calls Twilight a killjoy!" Fluttershy laughed and picked him up, only to throw him out of the window.
"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted and used her magic to save the little dragon from a painful landing before angrily turning back to the pegasus. "What is going on, Fluttershy! This isn't like you at all!"
"No!" Fluttershy shouted happily. "I'm NOTHING like Old Fluttershy! I'm strong, and tough and I don't let anything take me down! Especially not a pathetic little mangy bookworm like you, drooling over your notes as if anypony will ever care how much you learn! In the end, that big head of yours will just be lying in a grave without having made a single dent in history!"
Twilight gulped, trying not to break down in front of her. "... is that really what you think about me?"
The pegasus began to float around her, taunting in a sing-song voice: "Twilight Sparkle! Twilight Sparkle! Twilight Sparkle's lost her marbles!" She shoved Twilight to the floor and then flew out of the open window, laughing cruelly.
When Spike made it up to the second floor, he found Twilight back on her bed, sobbing softly into her pillow. The little dragon hopped on her bed and gave the purple unicorn a hug. "It's okay, Twilight! I'm sure something's gone wrong with Fluttershy. She wouldn't act like this on her own..." Spike said, before adding "... I hope."
Not saying a word, the unicorn turned around and hugged Spike so tightly that he felt his eyeballs were gonna fall out. "Y-you don't think I'm wasting my life, do you?"
"Of course not!" Spike said. "You're just doing what makes you happy! And that makes me happy! If that's not something good, I don't know what is!"
Using magic, Twilight levitated a handkerchief to her face and wiped away the tears. "Thank you, Spike, I really needed to hear that." The little dragon saluted in response.
"And I think you're right. Something has gone terribly wrong with Fluttershy, and we need to find out what it is before she has a chance to hurt any other ponies' feelings."
As Twilight and Spike made plans to find Fluttershy, the latter was already flying towards the Apple farm...
It was a sweaty and sunny day at the old place. The trees - acres of them! - were covered in shiny red apples, all ready for picking and that's exactly what Applejack, Applebloom and Big Macintosh were currently busying themselves with, knocking down one barrelful of apples after the other.
Applejack's face lit up as she saw Fluttershy float towards them. "Oh, hey there, Fluttershy!" She called out and offered her an apple. "Would ya look at these beauties? Why, I don't think I've seen a rotten one yet!"
The yellow pegasus flinched in disgust and shoved the apple out of Applejack's hand to everyone's surprise. "Apples! Is this what you do all day? How boring can one be? No wonder your little sister gets bullied every day at school if all she's ever gonna be good for is picking up after others!"
Applebloom gasped and froze, whilst Applejack turned red with fury. "Fluttershy! What in tarnation's gotten into your head, saying things like that to my lil sister!" she shouted.
"Oh, all sorts of things have gotten into my head, Applejack! Things like common sense, self-dignity and pride! New Fluttershy isn't going to let some stinking, dimwitted farm mules patronise her like she's NOTHING!"
"S-stinking, dimwitted farm mules...?" Applebloom's lips quivered and she ran off crying. "Applebloom, wait up!" Applejack shouted after her, but it was useless.
Fluttershy grinned darkly. She couldn't believe how thrilled she felt to finally be set free from Old Fluttershy's shackles. All of that worthless fear, and for what? The opinions of a dirty cheap lowlife town!
"I don't know what the hay's goin' on 'ere, but you better apologise to my lil sis this instant or me and Big Mac are gonna pluck you outta the sky, wings or no wings!" Applejack threatened.
"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh added, glaring at the pegasus.
Fluttershy growled. "When other ponies threaten, your hoofs are your weapon!" she screamed and suddenly flew at Applejack at top speed, punching her straight in the face and then flying up to where Big Macintosh couldn't get her again. "Nopony will ever be mean to Fluttershy, never again! You know why? Because New Fluttershy doesn't take any trash from anypony!" Satisfied, she flew off to the clouds.
The farmmare gently touched her blue eye, shocked. "She's gone completely cuckoo!"
"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh agreed.
As Celestia carried the sun down, Rainbow Dash finally returned to her lovely residence in the skies, completely exhausted and satisfied after a day of heavy training, only to be surprised by the presence of an oddly grumpy Fluttershy at her front doors. She had her front hooves crossed. It would've been comical if Rainbow Dash didn't know her so well.
"Fluttershy? Are you alright? You don't look so good." Dash said in a worried tone.
"I'm fine!" She snarled, causing Dash to back away in fear and surprise. "No thanks to you! Ohhh, look at me, I'm Rainbow Dash, I can fly faster and soar higher than anyone, but when it comes to lending a hoof to a friend in need..." she pouted melodramatically. "M-km! Why even hang out with someone if she's not a flipping Wonderbolt!"
Rainbow Dash was speechless. "F-Fluttershy, you know that's not true..."
"Isn't it?!" Fluttershy screeched and flew into Dash's face, before floating around and peppering her with accusations: "Always the best, always the first, never there to lend a hoof to a friend in need. I hope you're happy at the top, all alone and useless!"
"Just tell me what's the matter..." Rainbow Dash said, trying to calm her down.
Fluttershy gawped. "What's the matter?! What's the matter?! Nothing! Nothing's the matter now! I can speak my mind now, but back then? When I couldn't stand up to my own rabbit? Where were you, Rainbow Dash? Where was your loyalty then?! Oh, I know, you were too busy kissing the Wonderbolts' hooves! You may be the single worst 'friend' that I've ever known!"
Rainbow Dash's voice broke as she began to cry: "I'm sorry... I... I didn't know you-..."
"That's right, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy said, grinning and gesticulating flamboyantly. "You didn't know me. But I guess I should thank you. After all, if you had been there, I'd never have realised I needed to stand up for myself. So thanks! Thanks for nothing!"
Laughing, Fluttershy flew off and Rainbow Dash was left sitting next to her house, feeling like a terrible person.
Later that day, as Fluttershy returned to her house and scared away all the 'pests' in it, somebody knocked on her door.
The pony's eyes squinted. How dare anyone trouble her after a long day? Don't they have any manners?! She tore the door open, ready to snipe at whoever was standing there, only to blink in confusion as she saw no one.
"Down here!" Spike said.
"Oh. What do you want?" Fluttershy asked curtly.
Spike hacked out a letter and handed it to Fluttershy. The pegasus read it quickly and became furious. "An INTERVENTION?! Those no-good-for-nothing little chimps! How dare they!"
She began to walk around in circles, manically talking to herself. "It's a conspiracy, it must be! They all want Old Fluttershy back to be their little pet! Well, I won't let them! I'll show them all what happens when you cross NEW FLUTTERSHY!" Without warning, she took off into the air. Spike scratched his head. "That could be a problem." He mumbled.